Tony Perla had the lowest score of the day at Burlington
Country Club in Tuesday’s opening round of the 96th Philadelphia PGA
Professional Championship.
The LedgeRock Golf Club pro switched to Laurel Creek Country
Club for Wednesday’s second round and once again he had the lowest score of the
day, this time really low. Perla fired a brilliant 7-under 64 over the
6,545-yard, par-71 Laurel Creek layout, which, combined with his opening round
of 1-under 69 over the 6,585-yard, par-70 Burlington track, gave him an 8-under
133 total and a commanding five-shot lead going into Thursday’s final round
back at Laurel Creek.
Perla’s closest pursuer is defending champion Jordan Gibbs,
an assistant pro at Gulph Mills Golf Club. Gibbs had opened with an even-par 71
at Laurel Creek Tuesday and took on Burlington Wednesday.
He jumped out of the gate with three straight birdies and
was steady the rest of the way with just one other birdie and his lone bogey of
the day for a 3-under 67 that gave him a 3-under 138 total.
Perla was working out of the Philadelphia Cricket Club pro
shop at this time last year when he earned one of the tickets to the PGA
Professional Championship with a solid showing in the Philadelphia PGA
Professional Championship, which was staged at the Cricket Club’s two courses.
Perla struggled at the national event at the Sunriver Resort
in Sunriver, Ore. His No. 1 goal when he got to this year’s Section
championship was probably just to get back to the PGA Professional
Championship. He’s in pretty good shape to make the top 12 who will earn a
berth in next summer’s PGA Professional Championship, which will be held at the
Bayonet and Black Horse Courses in Seaside, Calif.
Now he can concentrate on grabbing the top prize Thursday at
Laurel Creek, which last year was $8,000. He put himself in position to do just
that with a round that featured five birdies and an eagle.
Perla already cashed one pretty nice check this summer when
he shared low-pro honors with Brian Bergstol of The Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort
in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Open Championship at
Philadelphia Country Club.
Brendon Post, an assistant coach and director of player
development for the Delaware men’s and women’s golf teams, had grabbed a share
of the opening-round lead with a 68 at Laurel Creek Tuesday. He added a 2-over
72 at Burlington and is tied for third at 1-under 140 with former Section
champion Terry Hertzog of the Country Club of York. Hertzog fired a 3-under 68
at Laurel Creek Wednesday after opening with a 2-over 72 at Burlington.
Conditions for the second round were fairly benign after
Hurricane Jose, far off in the Atlantic, but close enough to create some gusty
winds, made things challenging for the area’s top club pros in Tuesday’s opening round.
Two members of the deep stable of senior talent in the
Philadelphia Section, reigning Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional champion
Dave Quinn of Philmont Country Club and Applebrook Golf Club head pro Dave
McNabb, who lost in a playoff to former PGA Tour pro Omar Uresti for the title
in this summer’s PGA Professional Championship at the Sunriver Resort, are tied
for fifth at even-par 141.
Quinn, who edged McNabb by a shot for the Section’s Senior
title last month at Radnor Valley Country Club, added a 1-under 70 at Laurel
Creek to the 1-over 71 he shot at Burlington Tuesday. McNabb, fresh off
representing the PGA of America against club pros from Great Britain &
Ireland in the PGA Cup, a Ryder Cup-style event held in England, fired a
2-under 68 at Burlington after opening with a 2-over 73 at Laurel Creek
Tuesday.
Billy Stewart, an assistant pro at The ACE Club, carded a 67
Wednesday to move into a tie for seventh at 1-over 142 along with Rusty Harbold
(70-72) of the Cricket Club and Radley Run Country Club assistant pro Brett
Melton (71-71).
When Stewart, a Malvern Prep and Saint Joseph's University graduate and a product of the junior program at Llanerch Country Club, won the Pennsylvania Open at Rolling Green Golf
Club two summers ago, he said at the time he was not yet eligible to advance to
the PGA Professional Championship out of the Section championship yet because
he had delayed entering the club pro ranks while playing the mini-tours, mostly
in Florida.
I’m pretty sure he is eligible now and I’m sure he’s anxious
to get a shot to play in the National Club Pro next summer at Bayonet and Black
Horse. He’s in good position to do just that Thursday. He already earned a trip
to the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship in Florida
in November with a runnerup finish in the Philadelphia Assistant Professional
Championship at the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale.
Three Philadelphia Section players who have represented the
Philadelphia Section at the PGA Professional Championship numerous times are
among the four players tied for 10th at 2-over 143.
That would be two-time Philadelphia Section champion Rich
Steinmetz, the head pro at Spring-Ford Country Club, Mark Sheftic, the head of
instruction at Merion Golf Club, and the ageless Stu Ingraham, the head of
instruction at the M Golf Range in Newtown Square.
Steinmetz and Ingraham moved into position to earn a trip to
Bayonet and Black Horse by each shooting 69 Wednesday while Sheftic posted a
70.
Joining that trio at 143 was Kings Creek Country Club pro
Chris Krueger, who fired a 68 Wednesday.
The top 60 scores and ties made the 36-hole cut, which fell
at 11-over 152, and the survivors will tee it up at Laurel Creek in Thursday’s
final round.
No comments:
Post a Comment